Why you should introduce creativity into your business

Arts organisation Phoenix Brighton share their tips for injecting creativity into your business ahead of their inspirational Poetography event. 

Art and business – they sound like opposites, don’t they? But no matter what business you’re in, the ability to think creatively is always an asset.

Here at Phoenix Brighton, with over 100 artists working in the building, we know first-hand the importance of incorporating creativity into your daily routine. Here are some of our tips.

• Working by rote can lead to mistakes. Try to see the unique possibilities in every task – even the most repetitive – and they will seem more interesting while keeping you on your toes.
• Step away from your computer. If a problem is proving too difficult to solve in the moment, tying yourself to your desk won’t help. Get up, walk around or even better – do something with your hands. An idle moment of doodling might lead to the breakthrough you’ve been seeking.
• Invite external advice. At Phoenix, we have a huge variety of artistic disciplines in the building, from painters and sculptures to printmakers and photographers. Our artists chat with each other in the corridors, meet at social events, drop into each others’ studios – creativity sparking off creativity and providing fresh approaches to each others’ practice. So if you need a new perspective on something? Ask someone from outside your department to glance at it – they’ll come at it with fresh eyes and often see something you may have missed.
• It’s a cliché, but clichés are often true: there are no stupid ideas in brainstorming. Turn off your inner critic for the length of the brainstorming session and let your inner artist out. It can take practice, but the results, in the end, will be worth it.

Steve Jobs said it simply when he said: “Creativity is just connecting things”. Phoenix invites all Chamber members to Poetography, a free evening of creative connections images hosted by Henry Normal that explores how inspiration can be drawn from the most unlikely of sources.

Henry Normal is perhaps best known to viewers for writing and producing TV shows such as Mrs Merton and The Royle Family, as well as co-founding BabyCow Productions Ltd with Steve Coogan. After over twenty years work in TV, Henry returned to his original love of poetry after being inspired by family photos, especially those of his autistic son Johnny.

Poetography takes place at Phoenix on October 3rd from 7-9pm. The event is free, but visitors are encouraged to register in advance. 

Poetography will also function as the launch of Phoenix Friends, Phoenix Brighton’s new membership scheme, giving you a unique chance to engage with visual art through direct contact with artists and their work.

Thanks to Phoenix Brighton for writing this blog

If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk